Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA)

In remembrance of the patriotic poet Qu Yuan, the Dragon Boat Festival has now become a fun day out for the family - a time to enjoy dragon boat races and rice dumplings.

Local artist Luis Chan liked to bring together eastern and western styles as well as new and old creative approaches to tell Hong Kong stories. This Dragon Boat Festival scene is not traditional at all, as the artist added imaginary objects to present a dreamy world that mixes reality and ­fiction. Can you find these objects in his painting?

Luis Chan was born in Panama in 1905 and settled in Hong Kong in 1910. The source of his paintings has always been based on landscapes of Hong Kong and his own state of mind. For several decades, he has been continuously representing what he has seen and heard in Hong Kong by combining the styles of Chinese and Western art, and the new with the old.

He expresses his subconscious ideas in his paintings, such as the distorted, mysterious animals and objects that are scattered throughout the present work. The dragon boats in the painting have already become the symbol of dragon boat festival in contemporary Hong Kong. This festival, which was originally dedicated to the commemoration of the great Chinese poet Qu Yuan of the third century B.C. has also developed into a festival in which many traditional activities are held. Nowadays, watching dragon boat racing in the festival has also become a leisure activity for families, providing physical and mental relaxation.

Dragon boat festival_Look and find.jpg

Dragon boat festival

Most artists leave a personal mark on their paintings. In western paintings, you will often see the artist’s signature, while in Chinese paintings a seal is added. How did Luis Chan sign this painting? Look carefully and you will fi­nd a seal with his English name and year of painting.

Dragon boat race in the eyes of Luis Chan

Keeping a box of colouring pencils and a sketchbook nearby – as artists often do – means we can draw the scenery or sketch the interesting views or objects we encounter along the way when we go out. What kinds of shops are there in your neighbourhood? Try and draw your favourite shops and then introduce them to your family and friends!

Make Your Own Sketch

Take a walk in the country with Zhang Shipei

Lin Fengmian’s Interpretation of Chinese Opera

Visit a grocery store with Flyingpig

There are a host of Chinese painting and calligraphy works in the HKMoA collection. Access the Museum’s art collection databank (https://hkmasvr.lcsd.gov.hk/hkmacs_data/web/object_web.nsf/home?openform&lang=en). Select “Chinese Painting and Calligraphy” to view the works of many masters. Let’s pick a Chinese ink painting that inspired you and share your draft with us!

Make Your Own Ink Painting

Anything in daily life can be an inspiration to artists.
Come and join Flyingpig, Luis Chan, Zhang Shipei and Lin Fengmian,
four artists from different periods and background, to different places
and discover how they draw and paint the things they ¬find in everyday
life in their unique artistic styles. Are there any objects in these paintings
that you recognise? Let’s see if we can find something interesting!


Resource Kits

Object Library

Museums

Look and Find Hand in Hand with the Artists

Dragon boat race in the eyes of Luis Chan

Background Knowledge